About the NNMGA
Nepal National Mountain Guide Association is a member country representative of International Federation of Mountain Guide Association (UIAGM/IFMGA), this is non-profit organization formed by professional mountain guide of Nepal. It was formally registered on April 4 Monday, 2005 under the NGO act 2034 (Part 4) Home Ministry of Nepal Government. Register No. 505, Permanent Account No, (PAN card no. 301955803. This association is established with an objective to unite manpower involved in mountaineering profession and develop their standard activities in mountaineering to provide additional economic support to the nation through such trained manpower. Considering criteria of International Federation of Mountain Guide Association (IFMGA) this association in coordination with concerned line agencies and different organization / Institution is committed to conduct training to produce trained manpower quality service and minimize risks relating to mountaineering.
Objectives
Ø Assessment of the participants forming the professional national and international mountain guide (IFMGA Standard).
Ø Improvement of the safety and quality guiding services in climbing and mountaineering activities.
Ø Define the quality and similar professional guiding skills and technical knowledge appropriate in climbing and mountaineering.
History
Mountaineering profession of Nepalese mountaineers is started since 1891 AD as local mountain guide. Nepalese mountaineers are recognized as obedient and natural climbers and always provide their good company in any adventurous campaign in mountains from the very beginning. For the long period of time, Nepalese mountaineers were isolated from formal technical education about mountaineering. They were involved in such campaign as local mountain guide and contributed their self-bravery to accomplish such a big conquer in Himalayan mountaineering history.
It was only in the year 1979; formal basic technical education on mountaineering was started. The first ever mountaineering course was initiated by late Ales Kunaver of Slovenia in cooperation with some other countries of Europe at Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA).
This was followed by advance level climbing and mountaineering training program carried out jointly with National School of Ski and Alpinism (ENSA) Chamonix France. In joint initiation of NMA and ENSA, they managed to send selected Nepalese mountain guide to Chamonix, France to participate in the advance level training conducted by ENSA since 1982 AD. Till 2000 AD, there are about 3 dozen of Nepalese mountain guides who are trained from ENSA. On the same time, Yves Pollet Villard Foundation (YPVF) stationed in France committed to be an active agency to support the professional mountain guide education in Nepal.
Though Nepal has a long history of mountaineering it has long way to go before it claims it houses skilled mountain guides. The urgency of equipping mountain guides with sophisticated technology and imparting necessary information to them led group of highly experienced Nepalese Mountain Guide to establish NNMGA. It is indebted to some Slovenian, French and Austrian Organizations and some individuals’ mountain guides from those countries for their valuable contribution to form the formal mountain guiding education in Nepal.
NNMGA would like to extend its sincere gratitude to organizations based in France, Slovenia, Austria and Switzerland and some noted Mountain Guides and IFMGA itself for their valuable contribution to establish the Association. The organization was established under the chairmanship of Late Iman Gurung at 2005 AD.
After it’s establishment, NNMGA started its formal mountain guide education under the supervision of the representative of International Federation of Mountain Guide Association (IFMGA), the course module was signified by IFMGA. Our continuous practice and unbreakable effort on mountain guide education formation for 7 years; we are integrated as member country representative of Nepal to International Federation on 3rd May 2012.
Till date, NNMGA have produced 73 International Mountain guides, and they are active in their profession in mountaineering. And it is never ending process of NNMGA.
Quick Link – https://www.nnmga.org/international-guides/